Baldwyn Main Street Players go for laughs in ‘Improv Apocalypse’

Adam Robison | Buy at photos.djournal.comBentley Burns, on the floor, and Noah Hancock bring the laughs at a rehearsal for “Improv Apocalypse,” while fellow comedian Mitchell Winstead laughs on the side of the stage.

By Sheena Barnett

Daily Journal

BALDWYN – At “Improv Apocalypse,” the audience is in control.

Inspired by Tupelo’s own improv comedy troupe, West of Shake Rag, the Baldwyn Main Street Players is presenting its first improv comedy show.

Bentley Burns, a BMSP veteran, heads up the show, and he has a host of games for his comedians to play. All they need is audience participation and suggestions.

“We’re not going to embarrass anybody,” Burns said. “We just want to have a good time, and we’ll feed off the audience. If they help us, we’ll feed off that and have a better show.”

Burns and the company held auditions for comedians for the show.

At a recent rehearsal, the team burned through games like “Freeze,” which allows the comedians to take turns taking over scenes and changing them at a moment’s notice. In just a few minutes, the actors went from being ballet dancers to Marines to a cowboy and his horse.

There’s also “Party Quirks,” in which the actors portray different characters at a party, and “Scenes from a Hat,” which thrives on audience suggestions.